Letter to Sponsor

This is what I am sent in the mail to the sponsor of my bill:

Dr. Representative Judy Biggert,

I am a graduate student in community nutrition at Eastern Kentucky University. I currently have a blog on blogspot.com about eating disorders. I am very passionate bout the bill H.R. 36 Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2011. I am working on my blog to help advocate this bill. I would really like to get you thoughts on this bill and would like to talk to you about the past struggle to try to get this bill passed. I would really like for this bill to be brought up in Kentucky. I know that you usually do not have time to respond to non-constituents but I hold this topic very near and dear to my heart. I would really like to know your thoughts on this bill and if I could do anything to help you in the passage of this bill

Sincerely,

Amanda Harden

Similar legistlation in Adcoacy!

While working on my educational portfolio, I found that the Eating Disorders Coalition is working on getting bills passed as well. I am thinking about writing them for my blog to see if they could also push for my bill. Much of their energy is now dedicated to passing the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders ACT (FREED, H.R. 1193), the first ever comprehensive eating disorders bill in the history of Congress, and they need support to pass it during the 111th Congress.

 What does this bill intail?

2/25/2009--Introduced.Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to take certain actions regarding eating disorder research, including to:
(1) implement a scientifically justified budget for research on eating disorders;
(2) coordinate and evaluate NIH research activities and programs;
(3) expand NIH research on eating disorders;
(4) establish a task force on eating disorder research; and
(5) provide for centers of excellence for research on eating disorders. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to:
(1) provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of epidemiological data on eating disorders;
(2) establish a Center of Eating Disorders Epidemiology to collect and analyze information on eating disorders; and
(3) establish a CDC clearinghouse for the collection and storage of data generated under this Act. Sets forth provisions providing for education and training on eating disorders, including requirements for:
(1) developing and implementing a training program for health professionals on eating disorders;
(2) establishing the Task Force on Eating Disorders Prevention in Educational Institutions to develop and provide training on eating disorders identification and prevention for students, faculty, coaches, and staff in schools; and
(3) conducting public service announcements. Amends the PHSA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to also provide coverage for eating disorders. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market and coverage offered under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.

Looks Are More Important To Girls Than Life Latest Survey Suggests

I found this article in the news about the way women perceive themselves. The statistics are mind blowing. 1 in 2 women were disappointed with their body. There really does need to be more awareness out there to prevent eating disorders. This article definitely supports that with the way women think about their bodies.



30% of women would trade at least one year of their life to achieve their ideal body weight and shape. Latest research conducted for new eating disorder charity The Succeed Foundation, in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE), also found that in order to achieve their ideal body weight and shape:

• 16% would trade 1 year of their life
• 10% would trade 2-5 years of their life
• 2% would trade 6-10 years of their life
• 1% would trade 21 years or more of their life

The survey conducted at British Universities by Dr Phillippa Diedrichs also discovered that in order to achieve their ideal body weight and shape 26% of the women surveyed were willing to sacrifice at least one of the following:

• £5000 from their annual salary (13%)
• A promotion at work (8%)
• Achieving a first class honours degree (6%)
• Spending time with their partner (9%)
• Spending time with their family (7%)
• Spending time with their friends (9%)
• Their health (7%)

The survey results suggest that body dissatisfaction was common among the women surveyed, with 1 in 2 women saying that more needs to be done on their university campus to promote healthy body image.

• 46% of the women surveyed have been ridiculed or bullied because of their appearance.
• 39% of the women surveyed reported that if money wasn't a concern they would have cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance. Of the 39% who said they would have cosmetic surgery, 76% desired multiple surgical procedures. 5% of the women surveyed have already had cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance.
• 79% of the women surveyed reported that they would like to lose weight, despite the fact that the majority of the women sampled (78.37%) were actually within the underweight or 'normal' weight ranges. Only 3% said that they would like to gain weight.
• 93% of the women surveyed reported that they had had negative thoughts about their appearance during the past week. 31% had negative thoughts several times a day.
• When asked which celebrity has the perfect body Kelly Brook came top of the list.

Notes

320 women studying at 20 British universities completed The Succeed Foundation Body Image Survey in March 2011. Age Breakdown: Range 18-65 years. Average age= 24.49 years.

In response to the fact that it is common for women attending universities to have body image issues, on April 2nd and 3rd 2011, The Succeed Foundation is launching The Succeed Body Image Programme in UK universities. This is a scientifically supported programme that aims to improve body image and prevent the onset of eating disorders.

The Succeed Foundation was founded in 2010 by Karine Berthou, with the mission of raising awareness and providing support for those affected by eating disorders. The aim is to introduce new programmes and fresh research to halve the average recovery time of sufferers; by creating networks, delivering programmes and adapting new technologies in prevention, education and coaching. All programmes or projects are scientifically supported and easily replicable, enabling availability to the widest number possible.

Source
The Succeed Foundation

Current Status Of House Bill H.R. 36

This is the current status of my bill. It is same as the last time I checked the progress of it. I am starting to worry that this bill is not going to pass because as I listed earlier this type of bill has been introduced before and all of them end where this bill is sitting right now. I feel as we need to do more then what we have been doing in the past for this bill because it is obviously not working.

 

Bill Actions

Jan. 31, 2011	Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jan. 31, 2011	Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jan. 4, 2011	Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jan. 4, 2011	Referred to House Education and the Workforce
Jan. 4, 2011	Referred to House Energy and Commerce

Blog Post!!!

Harriet Brown's Blog "Feed Me" which I said I posted on earlier was great!!! She posted my comment on her blog and asked me to send her a link to my blog!! It was really exciting because I really look up to her and I think her book and blog are amazing!

Anonymous said...

Harriet, I love you blog!!! I think that everyone know at least one person in their life who has an eating disorder. So many times people are hush hush about the subject but I agree with you. It is time to talk about eating disorders. We need to bring them out into the open. Let people know that they are not alone in their fight with their disorder. I currently have a blog that I am working on for graduate work that is about bill H.R. 36 which is awareness and prevention of eating disorders. I am really passionate about this subject and would love to get this bill passed. Thank you so much for everything you do in the effort for eating disorders.

3/02/2011

Harriet said...

Thanks, Anon. Send me a link to your blog!

3/03/2011

Related Legislation

Other Legislation with the Same Title

The list below shows legislation in this and previous sessions of Congress that had the same title as this bill. Often bills are incorporated into other omnibus bills, and you may be able to track the status of provisions of this bill by looking for an omnibus bill below. Note that bills may have multiple titles.

111th Congress: H.R. 26Dead
110th Congress: H.R. 88Dead
109th Congress: H.R. 49Dead
108th Congress: H.R. 873Dead
107th Congress: H.R. 46Dead
106th Congress: H.R. 3928Dead


I am very discouraged by this past record of legislation. This does not make me feel good about the future process for my bill. On an optimistic outlook they are committed to getting this bill passed!

Bill H.R. 26

Sponsor:
Rep. Judy Biggert [R-IL13]show cosponsors (1)
Text:
Summary | Full Text
Status:
Introduced Jan 6, 2009
Referred to Committee View Committee Assignments
Reported by Committee (did not occur)
House Vote (did not occur)
Senate Vote (did not occur)
Signed by President (did not occur)
This bill never became law. This bill was proposed in a previous session of Congress. Sessions of Congress last two years, and at the end of each session all proposed bills and resolutions that haven't passed are cleared from the books. Members often reintroduce bills that did not come up for debate under a new number in the next session.
Last Action:
Mar 6, 2009: House Education and Labor: Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.

This makes me nervous see how this bill ended. I really hope this does not foreshadow the actions of my bill. So my bill H.R. 36 was reintroduced because it did not come up for debate in the years passed. I am hoping that it comes up this year and the committee passes the bill on. It is about time!

Accidental Information

After searching for more information on my bill, I accidetnially ran across an earlier version of my bill which is H.R. 26 and it came up in 2009.

H.R. 26:
Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2009
111th Congress
2009-2010

Purpose:
To amend title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to raise awareness of eating disorders and to create educational programs concerning the same, and for other purposes.

It was basically the same bill.

I am searching to see what happened to this bill and looking to see if there are any other bills related to mine the were introduced earlier then this bill.

Good News?!

I just found the my sponsor of my bill tweeted on congress-tweet:
“Good news: The House passed the short-term CR with $4 billion in cuts, and Reid has agreed to get it passed in the Senate..”

(Mar 1, 2011)

I think CR is corporate responsibility.  Therefore I think my bill is going to be passed to the Senate!!! YAY!!

What I plan on!!

My next move is to try to email my bills sponsor which is:

Rep. Judy Biggert [R-IL13]

U.S. Representative, Illinois’s 13^th District

State:	Illinois [map]
District:	13th Congressional District [map]
Party:	Republican
Birthday:	Aug 15, 1937 / 73 years old

I plan on emailing her over spring break and see if I get any response. I am really excited about it but I hope i sounds like I know what I am talking about!!

Blog Post!!

I finally did it!! I posted on Feed ME!! I commented on Harriet Brown's blog today, but it will not actually go up on her blog until she approves what I commented about. I am hoping she checks her blog soon. I also hope that she sends a little feedback to the little people like me!! I think that she is a very smart woman and is very knowledgeable on eating disorders. I mentioned my bill. I think she would be a great person to get involved in the push for my bill. I will post what I posted word for word later and with any feed back she gives me!!

Why this is important to ME!!

I love Harriet Brown's Blog called "Feed Me!". She is a published author who wrote a book about a girl with an eating disorder called brave girl eating. It talks about a families struggle with anorexia. I would really love to read this book. So often we think that it is just the person with the eating disorders problem but it is a struggle for the whole family. I can attest to it. Someone in my family struggle with bulimia. For so long we had no clue that there was anything wrong with my family member. Once you find out you start to think how could you have missed it? That person of your family had been sick all this time and not for one second did you notice that anything was not right. Then once it is time for the person fighting with the eating disorder to fight it is a whole family struggle because they need support to get through and turn their life around. This is why this subject is so important to me. We need to get awareness, prevention, and treatment out to the general public. I think that if I would have known more about bulimia could I have noticed the signs and symptoms to help my family member.

Eating Disorder Awareness

Last week was the National Eating Disorder Awareness week!!

The mission of NEDAwareness Week

The aim of NEDAwareness Week is to ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses — not choices — and it’s important to recognize the pressures, attitudes and behaviors that shape the disorder.
NEDAwareness Week is a collective effort of primarily volunteers, including eating disorder professionals, health care providers, students, educators, social workers, and individuals committed to raising awareness of the dangers surrounding eating disorders and the need for early intervention and treatment.

2011 Theme: It’s Time to Talk about It

This year the National Eating Disorders Association is stressing that it’s time to talk about
eating disorders. We live in a culture saturated with unrealistic body-image messages and
almost all of us know somebody struggling with an eating disorder. Because this is true, we
urge you to talk about it......and do just one thing during NEDAwareness Week to 

1) raiseawareness that eating disorders are serious illnesses, not lifestyle choices; 

2) provide accurate information to medical, educational and/or business communities, and 

3) direct people to information and resources about eating disorders.

On their site they said that the week went really well!! I think where it says that we live in a culture that has a unrealistic body-image is very true. It really hits home about everyone probably knows someone who has had a eating disorder. I have had many friends who struggled with their weight and eating disorders. I often think that eating disorders get over look many times because of the obesity epidemic. So many people suffer from these disorders and we do need to talk about them and bring them to the forefront.